


We Hold On So Tight

by anniebibananie (alindy)



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Married Chirrut Îmwe/Baze Malbus, Rival Teachers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-10-23 10:05:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10717254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alindy/pseuds/anniebibananie
Summary: AP Literature teacher Jyn Erso and AP World History teacher Cassian Andor are natural rivals, have been since the day Jyn arrived a year ago. Between bickering, they mostly just try to hide the fact that they care about each other. It can get pretty complicated.Or, a rival!teachers au feat. Jyn and Cassian





	We Hold On So Tight

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first jyn x cassian fic so I really hope you all enjoy.

**S E P T E M B E R**

Jyn liked to think she was fairly reasonable. Sure, she could be hard on her students sometimes, but she also knew that life wasn’t always that easy. High School was hard. Hell,  _ she  _ certainly wouldn’t want to live through it again. It was tough, so she tried her hardest to be reasonable whenever possible. That was, with everyone besides AP World History teacher Cassian Andor. 

There was something about him that got underneath her skin. The students all loved him; they were always talking about his passion and easy way of teaching when they shuffled into her classroom. From time to time, there were whispers on how ‘dreamy’ he was, which usually had Jyn rolling her eyes and calling class quickly to order. 

In general, it was pretty well known by students and teachers alike that Jyn and Cassian didn’t always get on that well. Which was why it bothered her so much when a student raised their hand in her second period class. 

“Yes? Do you have something you want to add to our discussion on Conrad?” Jyn leaned her elbows up against the podium as she raised an eyebrow. 

The girl shuffled slightly in her seat, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I noticed on the board that our papers on  _ Heart of Darkness  _ are due Friday?”

Jyn nodded. “Yes, and?”

“Well,” she said as she shuffled again, and Jyn bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from barking at the girl to spit it out, “Mr. Andor has a big test that day, too. It wouldn’t be that bad, but it’s Homecoming week and there’s just not a lot of time to get everything done.”

Jyn huffed before realizing students were still paying attention and composed her features. Reasonable, she reminded herself, you have to be reasonable. “How many of you take AP World History with Mr. Andor?”

Nearly 75% of the class raised their hands, and Jyn cursed the AP kids for being so smart that they all piled on their coursework. “I’ll talk to Mr. Andor about it and get back to you guys by tomorrow, ok?” The girl nodded excitedly and a noticeable portion of the class seemed to relax with the announcement.  “But  _ only  _ if I get some good discussion in the last ten minutes of class today about symbols of othering in the text. Deal?”

Three people raised their hands, and Jyn had to at least thank the AP students for their desire to participate. It almost masked the bubble of anger sitting in her stomach. Almost.

* * *

They weren’t rivals at first. A year ago Jyn was the new teacher, something she was fairly used to. Before Kyber High, she never stayed long. She was a substitute teacher for some time, and after that she got some positions to cover for teachers out on maternity leave or prolonged absence. A year was spent teaching at an at-risk school in the city, then another at a private school in the middle of nowhere. Then a year and a half ago she saw the ad for Kyber.

While her previous teaching experience left some to be desired because of her constant movement, her educational background was beyond impressive. It was essentially her dream job, and though she was surprised when Principal Mothma called to tell her she was hired, there was no way she would turn it down. 

And she liked the school, well enough to push away the ache in her chest to keep moving and stay another year. She liked the other teachers, the area, her apartment. She  _ didn’t  _ like the way Cassian had instantly insinuated she needed help. 

“I’ve been teaching AP here for a couple of years,” he said when he popped into her classroom the first time a few days before school started. “If you need help with syllabus stuff I’m right around the corner.”

“You teach AP Literature?” she asked. 

His brows scrunched together. “No, but-”

“It seems like you’re trying to insinuate I don’t know anything about my subject.”

“That wasn’t what I was trying to do.”

“I know how to make a syllabus.”

He rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t saying you didn’t.”

“Ok. Thank you.” Jyn purposefully turned away, smirking as he huffed out of the room. 

That had been that.

* * *

“You have to move your test.”

Cassian barely looked up from his place at his desk. His legs were propped up on it, papers on his lap, and he pushed his thick-rimmed glasses up his nose. “Pleasure as always, Ms. Erso.”

“Just call me Jyn. Otherwise it’s weird.” She crossed her arms. 

Cassian’s feet hit the floor as he sat up and set his papers on his desk. “What can I help you with,  _ Jyn. _ ”

“The AP students don’t have time for both your test and my paper, so it’d be easier if you moved your test to Monday.”

Cassian sighed. “Did you ever stop to think about moving back your paper?” 

Jyn couldn’t resist tapping her foot against the floor. “It’s easier to push back a test than a paper.”

“Really?” Cassian rolled up his sleeves, and Jyn hated that she paused for a second to look at his forearms. He leaned forward on his elbows, and she snapped out of it. 

Stepping forward, Jyn placed her palms on his desk and stared him down. “One of us has to move something back.”

The anger in Jyn’s stomach boiled as Cassian’s lips quirked up at the edges. “Ok,” he said as he rubbed a hand over his scruff, “how about we play for it?”

“What does that mean?” They were really too close to be professional, Jyn realized, but those thoughts were always diminished when anger was pulsing through her. 

He quirked his head. “Rock, paper, scissors?” 

“I seriously hate you,” she grumbled as she brought her hand up. 

“Trust me, I know. Two out of three?” 

She nodded, and the pair battled it out. Jyn’s rock beat his scissors, and then his rock beat her scissors, and after a brief second spared to glare at one another, Cassian’s paper beat Jyn’s rock. 

“Your students will be happy to hear they have the weekend to finish their paper.”

The worst part about his smirk was that it was roguishly handsome. Jyn childishly stuck out her tongue before storming out. 

* * *

**O C T O B E R**

Bodhi huffed as he slumped into the chair across from Jyn. After she refused to look up from the copy of _ A Streetcar Named Desire  _ she was currently marking up for class, he huffed again. 

“Fine, I give in.” Jyn closed the book and eyed him. “What, Bodhi, would you daresay the problem is?” 

“Am I allowed to shit talk about students?” 

“You probably shouldn’t.” Cassian was sitting at the next table, skimming the newspaper while eating his homemade lunch (the smell made it difficult for Jyn to ignore the rumblings of her stomach). 

“He’s a buzzkill. Go on.” Jyn could practically feel him roll his eyes without even having to look. 

Chirrut chimed in. “I’d probably say it was unwise to talk about a student as well.” His legs were crossed almost like he was meditating, and Jyn was suddenly curious as to whether that was what he was doing. “Though, maybe you don’t have to say who it is  _ explicitly _ .”

“See!” Jyn said. “Go on.”

Cassian released a sound of disapproval which she ignored. 

“A certain student, who shall not be named, spent the whole class continuously butting in to try to get us off topic. And then tried to convince me to let them use notes on the test next week as if it would make any difference. It’s physics, I already give you the formulas. Then, at the end of the class– Cassian, you’ll probably want to listen to this part– she started asking me about  _ you  _ and  _ Jyn  _ because I’m pretty sure she’s interested in trying to pursue you. Ick.”

Jyn’s body froze. “Hold up, rewind. Cassian and me? Like, in what way?”

Bodhi slumped forward and hit his head against the table. “Like in the sense that you two are dating, and she hoped to break you up so she could creepily hit on him during World History.”

“Please never tell me who this girl is,” Cassian said. “I want to stay willfully ignorant.”

Jyn hoped there wasn’t some rumor going around about her and Cassian. That was the last thing she needed. She’d finally gotten the students trained well enough to do exactly what they should in class, but if new gossip was sprouting in the halls she knew they’d be horribly unruly. 

Not to mention, she didn’t like the idea of people talking about her behind her back. Jyn liked to be known for doing exactly what she was supposed to be doing, nothing more nothing less. She’d prefer to stay invisible whenever possible, and steamy teacher rumors were the exact  _ opposite  _ of that. 

“I really hope there’s not some weird rumor going around.” Jyn shifted in her seat to look at Cassian. To her surprise, he was already staring at her. “Have you heard anything?” 

He tilted his head to the side. “Do you think I would know anything related to student gossip?” 

“I forgot,” she said, waving a hand, “you’re like an anti-social basket case.” 

“Hey! I had game night at my place last week.”

Bodhi seemed to recharge at this. “It’s true, I won Life.”

Jyn raised her eyebrows. “I wasn’t invited?”

“You were busy leading that workshop for college application essays,” Chirrut said. “Don’t get offended.”

This didn’t seem to quell Jyn, who stared even more intently. “Chirrut was there, too! I’m sure Baze made an appearance as well. Everyone but me.”

Chirrut smiled. “I mean, we’re married, so yes. He kind of goes wherever I do.” 

Narrowing her eyes, Jyn grimaced in Cassian’s direction. “Was it intentional?” 

He rolled his eyes. “Of course not, Jyn. I was going to invite you until Bodhi told me you wouldn’t be able to come anyway.”

This placated Jyn, but only slightly. Standing up, she stuffed her book under her arm and paused. “I feel betrayed by all of you.” Ignoring the chorus of laughter from Bodhi and Chirrut, she swiftly exited the teacher lounge. 

* * *

Jyn would be hard-pressed to find a day she hated more than Parent-Teacher Conference Day. It was just the  _ worst.  _ For one, there wasn’t enough time to go anywhere after the end of school and the start of the whole affair. This meant she never got dinner before being stuck in the school for another long chunk of hours. Very few parents attended, and the parents who really  _ should  _ be there never came. Overall, it was exhausting. At least last year she had sat at the table next to Bodhi, which was how they had bonded in the first place.

This year, however, Cassian was her table mate. Which wouldn’t have  _ actually  _ been that bad as Jyn did enjoy their banter, but she soon found that there wasn’t much time for arguing with Cassian when a slew of single and married mothers never ceased hitting on him. It was just  _ annoying.  _

“Your son presents a lot of great arguments and ideas in his essays,” Cassian said with a smile, “he just needs to turn in more work. He’s fully capable of an A if he simply applied himself.”

The women smiled wide as she brought up a finger to tap at her lip. “He’s always been a smart boy. I’m sure he must learn so much from you.”

Cassian smiled uneasily. He shot a worried glance in Jyn’s direction who was blatantly staring at the whole interaction. “That’s the hope, yes.”

“I wish they made them as pretty as you in my day. It would have made it a lot easier to pay attention, though, maybe not.” The leer she shot his way was practically predatory; it even left Jyn’s skin crawling. 

Jyn cleared her throat. “Sorry to interrupt you Mr. Andor, but Mrs. Williams, I was hoping to talk to you about Kevin’s work in my class as well.” 

Mrs. Williams deflated, looking between the two of them. Jyn wasn’t sure why she had done it, but she couldn’t deny that even though Cassian and her clashed, she still did care for him. At least enough to stop him from being sexually harassed. 

“That’s alright, Ms. Erso. That would actually be perfect,” he said. “Ten minutes is our cap on meetings, anyways.”

Cassian offered his hand to shake in goodbye, and Mrs. Williams held onto it for much too long before sliding over to sit in front of Jyn. Despite Jyn’s attempts otherwise, Mrs. Williams talked far too much and stayed for much too long. By the time she finally left, Jyn was ready to call the whole night quits. 

“I’ve never loved you more.” 

Jyn rolled her eyes. “You owe me one.” She paused and eyed him for a second. His hair was getting a little longer than he normally kept it, and she rather liked it. His thick-rimmed glasses, the polo under the thick sweater, the slightly messy hair… he  _ was  _ the definition of hot professor. Mrs. Williams had been right even if she’d gone about it all wrong. “What was worse, her telling you how pretty you are or when she got slightly too racist by calling you ethnic?” 

His scoff turned into a laugh. “Definitely the racist part.”

Jyn rested her chin on her hand, a soft smile on her lips. Before she could respond her stomach betrayed her by growling ferociously. 

Cassian’s face became clouded with concern. “That can not possibly be your stomach.”

“But alas, it is.” 

His frame bent down as he ruffled through his messenger bag and came back out with a tupperware container he set in front of her. “My payment.”

Jyn paused for only a second before her stomach clenched with hunger, and she ripped the top off. “Did you make these tamales?” Normally, she could barely remember to pack snacks for school and ended up leeching off of the teachers’ lounge or others. How did he have time to make such delicious food? 

He nodded. “I like to cook.”

“It shows. Payment accepted.” 

He laughed. As a wide smile spread across his lips, Jyn couldn’t help but think that it was pretty nice to see this side of him. Arguing was fun, but she’d spent so long colliding with him she had forgotten there was anything else. Cassian’s smile was a pretty great something else. 

* * *

**N O V E M B E R**

Jyn was going to kill whoever’s decision it was to make her stay until all her grades were turned in before Thanksgiving weekend. Of course, she  _ understood  _ why it had to be done, but she was tired. Thanksgiving wasn’t that exciting for her; she didn’t really have family and she hadn’t grown up celebrating it. Though that didn’t mean she didn’t want a nice long weekend of laying around in sweats, watching Netflix and forgetting about everything. 

A knock on the door stirred her, and she looked up from a paper to see Cassian. He was leaning in her doorway, his worn leather messenger bag over his shoulder and his dark, wool coat hanging slightly open. 

“You’re escaping already?” She sighed, plopping forward to rest her chin on her fist as she pouted. 

He chuckled softly. “A lot less essays to be graded in history than literature. You picked the wrong subject.”

“Clearly.” There was something a little bit off about the way his eyes shifted down several times. “It’s nice that you came to say goodbye.”

Finally, he looked at her fully. She wasn’t sure why, but it nearly stole her breath for a moment. “I was going to ask you what your plans were for the holiday, actually.”

“I don’t really celebrate.” She waved at herself. “British and all that.”

Nodding, he bit his lip briefly. “Well, if you decide you  _ do  _ want to do something, I’m hosting something at my place. Just the people you like, of course. I’m cooking.”

“Open with ‘I’m cooking’. It’s your biggest draw.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “Is that a yes then, Ms. Erso?” 

“Oh, fuck off.” They laughed. “Yea, I’ll be there.” 

Cassian raised his hand in a half-wave, that soft smile still fluttering on his lips, before leaving her alone with her pile of essays. 

* * *

The door opened to reveal Cassian wearing an  _ apron.  _ A flower-patterned  _ apron  _ that left Jyn so shell-shocked she could barely form words for a second.

“I can’t cook so I brought cranberries. That’s a thing, right?” She held up the can, and he grabbed it with a smile. 

“Perfect, I didn’t have any.” He stepped aside, giving her space to squeeze into his apartment. 

It was exactly as she pictured– well-decorated yet surprisingly sparse. It was clean and aesthetically pleasing in the same way he was. The kitchen was overflowing with food, and the smell filled the whole apartment. 

As she stepped in further, she noticed Bodhi in the armchair with a big glass of wine and Chirrut and Baze on the couch, each nursing a beer. Seeing the three of them with Cassian somewhere behind her, Jyn almost felt like she was part of a family for what was nearly the first time in her life. It hit her straight in the heart, and after saying a quick hello she escaped to the kitchen to get a drink of her own. 

She knew the main reason she had never had family was because she had spent so much of her life running. There was something oddly self-destructive about Jyn. A part of her had always felt like a bomb waiting to explode. It seemed easier to keep moving. Never let the bomb settle too long or it would finally go off and then everything she let herself care about would be destroyed, hurt from the shrapnel of herself. 

Cassian was whistling as he whipped potatoes, and the image was so soft it made her panic even more. She grabbed a beer from his fridge and snapped off the cap, taking a deep chug. 

“Woah,” he said. There was something oddly contrasting about the seriousness in his look of concern and the flowery apron over his clothes. A bowl of mashed potatoes sat in the crook of his arm; his fingers dangled over the whisk, like the moment was too sensitive to actually grab it and go back to work. “You ok there?” 

The worst part was that she really didn’t  _ want  _ to be this way. Sometimes, when she thought hard about everything, she could remember being normal. She could remember the life she had before it fell apart in a matter of seconds. A mom. A dad. Being a kid loved by their parents. Happy endings were never in the cards for her, so she stopped hoping for one. For anything resembling one. 

“How’d you learn to cook a turkey?” she asked instead of facing any of it. 

He shrugged. “Someone had to feed the younger kids. Most of the foster parents couldn’t have cared less.”

“You’re an orphan?” 

His eyes shifted to the bowl still in his arms, and he started to whip again. “Most of my life. I don’t remember anything about my actual parents.”

Jyn tapped her beer against the bowl, like a cheer of sorts, and it brought the corner of Cassian’s lips up a fraction. “Cheers to that.”

* * *

“Jyn, you can’t have the whole couch,” Bodhi whined.

She ignored him and spread out her arms further. “I’m in a food coma. I can’t hear you.”

Cassian entered the room and handed another beer to both Chirrut and Baze, who were sitting together in the loveseat. As he approached the couch, Jyn lifted her legs up for him. He slid under them as he tried to conceal his shock at the gesture. 

“Oh, come on,  _ he  _ gets couch superiority.”

Jyn scoffed. “Of course. We’re, one, In his apartment and two, he made the food that currently has me in this coma.”

Cassian laughed as he placed a hand on her shin. It was warm through her tights. 

“Remember when you two used to fight all the time?” Bodhi asked. “Who would have thought those were the good old days. Now you’re on the same team, and it’s dangerous.”

“We still fight,” Cassian said. 

“True.” 

“Like last week when she came storming into my classroom because I held two students back so they could finish my test and they were late to her class.”

Jyn raised herself up on an elbow. “They missed out on part of my graded discussion!” 

“See.” Cassian motioned with a hand to her. “Case in point.”

Baze laughed. “I can barely remember what it was like before you were here, Jyn.”

“Quieter, probably,” Cassian said. 

Jyn reached up to slap his arm before plopping back down. 

“I hate to be the old person, but we should probably get going.” Baze stood up, holding out a hand for Chirrut who grabbed it graciously to be tugged up. 

Bodhi sighed as he stood up. “They’re my ride so that means goodbye from me as well.” 

Cassian tapped Jyn’s legs, and she raised them up so he could escape. “Thank you guys for coming. Do you want to take any leftovers home with you? I have more than enough.”

Chirrut paused as a smile spread across his lips. “Maybe just some of those sweet potatoes?” 

Patting him on the shoulder, Cassian lead him toward the kitchen. Baze dutifully followed behind, carrying stray empty bottles back with him. Once alone, Bodhi took the opportunity to fall on Jyn. She grunted from the impact, laughing as he shifted to remove his weight and slipped between her and the cushions. 

“What the fuck, Bodhi.”

His smile turned completely shit-eating. “I just wanted to say goodbye.”

“We couldn’t have high fived or something?” 

“Where’s the fun in that?” Leaning his head back into the cushions, he sighed. “Don’t make out with Cassian once we all leave, ok? It’s best to retain a professional–”

His words got no farther before Jyn was grabbing him and twisting their bodies so he fell to the floor. A grunt puffed from his lips and the apartment vibrated with the crash. 

The three from the kitchen stepped back into the hallway, eyeing the scene. 

Cassian raised an eyebrow. “I’m not going to ask.”

Jyn shrugged. “Best not to.”

They said their final goodbyes, all the while Jyn never moving from the couch. Cassian reappeared after walking them out and shutting the door. Pausing, he watched Jyn shift on the couch. For a moment, she thought he was going to say something about her leaving too, but then he just came over and waited for her to lift her legs again. 

“Do you want to watch a movie? Maybe a documentary or something?” He played with the neck of his fresh bottle before finally taking a swig. 

Jyn eyed him. His hair was messy after a long day, and he kept pushing it off of his face. The navy button up he was wearing was rolled up at the sleeves, the top few buttons undone. It was the most unraveled she had ever seen him; he was always so effortlessly put together. She probably looked similar, with her curls tangled down her back and her sweater abandoned on a chair by the table. He met her gaze. 

“Ok,” she said. “Maybe that new one that just got added to Netflix?”

Cassian’s eyes were too soft. Soft enough it almost made her recoil, escape back into herself. It felt nice, though, so for once she let herself revel in it instead. He clicked on the TV, and she cuddled closer into the cushions. 

* * *

**D E C E M B E R**

Nearly two weeks had passed when she found herself on his front door with a duffel bag hanging over her shoulder and a pile of papers and books so high they were tipping in her arms. 

“Jyn?” He was in sweatpants and a gray t-shirt with a red felt pen tucked behind his ear. “What are you doing here?”

She seemed to shrink with the question, all the air leaving her. “Can I come in, please?”

It was the please that really did it, and Cassian yanked the door open for her. He grabbed the pile from her arms to move it to his kitchen counter, turning back around with an expression leaking concern. 

“I would have called you, but my phone was dead. My whole apartment complex is shut down right now due to no water, and they forgot to send me a notice about it so I didn’t know. I didn’t plan on where to go, and you can feel free to kick me out, but I-”

Cassian stepped forward and held her upper arms, halting her words. “Jyn. You’re ok. You can stay here as long as you need. That’s why I have a guest room.” 

In a moment of weakness, Jyn slumped forward and rested her forehead against his shoulder. “Thank you. Honestly, _thank_ _you_. What a disaster today has been.”

He reached a hand up to pat her back, pausing briefly before running a supportive hand over her hair. “Are you hungry? I can make something for you.”

Jyn pulled back, eyebrows furrowed. “Do you have any ice cream?”

Cassian’s laugh was infectious, and soon she couldn’t help the smile that budded on her own lips. 

“Sit down, and I’ll bring you some.”

After dropping off her duffel on the nearest chair, Jyn grabbed her pile of papers back up and moved to the couch. Clearly he was doing some grading of his own. A pile of tests sat next to an answer key in his own long scrawl. 

“I only have mint chocolate chip. I hope that’s ok.”

Jyn held her hands out excitedly and shoved a spoonful in immediately. Afterwards, she sunk into the cushions. “This was everything I needed, thank you.”

Cassian stepped over her legs which she had hoisted up on the living room table. “No problem. Perfect timing really. These tests are going to kill me.”

“Aren’t short answer questions the worst?” Jyn leaned her head back and closed her eyes, trying to relax the tension in her body for a moment. 

“They can be.” He sighed, and she felt his eyes on her. 

Looking over, she recognized the tilt in his head and the slightly raised brows. “Are you sure you’re ok?” 

The answer sat on her lips, and for a second she thought she might not say it at all. “I am now.”

The oddest part was just how much she meant it. 

* * *

Jyn couldn’t stop laughing, probably due to the mix of a little too much champagne and the running commentary Baze was giving her as Bodhi tried to flirt with their relatively new art teacher.

“He’s… trying to be smooth? I think? He just  _ tapped _ his nose with his pointer finger.”

The next laugh hit her so hard she threw her head back with the force of it. Weird obligatory work gatherings were always better when you had people like Baze at your side. Jyn had never worked at a school where they did a holiday party like this– renting out a room at the local hotel, a free glass of champagne, fancy attire. It was turning out better than she had expected; a lot better than last year. 

“Bodhi?” Chirrut asked as he and Cassian joined them against the long bar. 

“It feels a little strange to watch it, no?” Cassian said. 

Jyn hit his shoulder with her own. “Come on, don’t be a spoil sport.”

He grumbled a little under his breath and rested his forearms against the bar. Whatever he had been drinking before was gone now, and Jyn almost laughed at the way he zeroed in on the bartender. 

“Drinking to dull the pain?” she joked lightly. The dull ache in his eyes made her pause. She leaned closer. “Wait, are you actually?”

He ran a hand down his face. “It’s… been a long day.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

The bartender appeared, and Cassian ordered a double whisky. He smiled politely as they handed over the drink and then took a large gulp. 

“Christmas is not a good time of the year for me,” he answered honestly. As he met her eyes, she could finally see how tired he seemed to be. “A lot of old memories.”

Jyn nodded before calling the bartender back over. “Hey,” she said, “can I get two shots of tequila, another beer, and another whisky while you’re at it?”

Cassian laughed, shaking his head as the bartender rushed to get the drinks. “What are you doing?”

The bartender set the shots in front of her and she slid one in front of him immediately. “Christmas sucks.” She shrugged. “Figure we should just get drunk while the drinks are subsidized.” 

Lifting the shot glass in a cheer, he swallowed the tequila in a single gulp. “I’m certain I can drink you under the table.”

Jyn scoffed. “Oh, yea? We’ll see about that.” 

It only took a few more shots each and they were drunk enough to be leaning into each other on a bench by the side of the room. Their spot was hidden enough they could people watch and drunkenly giggle over their co-workers antics. Mostly, they swapped between watching Bodhi who was still trying to impress the art teacher and Baze who was surprisingly struggling with his own alcohol. 

“Christmas is just the  _ worst _ ,” Cassian said all of a sudden. He rested his forehead on Jyn’s shoulder, sighing dramatically.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re a drama queen drunk?” Releasing a small laugh, she patted his thigh soothingly. “Why is it the worst?”

“Never enough money to go around,” he mumbled. “I was always trying to scrounge things together for the other kids, and it was never enough. I hated having to face their disappointment.” 

Cassian paused. As the silence settled between them, Jyn could tell there was more that he wanted to say, but wasn’t sure how to form the words. “They always thought Santa Claus hated them because they were poor and unloveable. How do you explain that to a kid? Every time I think about it, it still hurts.”

Finally, Jyn let her hand rest on his thigh and held strong as he leaned his weight into her. “You did the best you could. Some fights are unwinnable, no matter how hard we try.” 

He sighed into her shoulder again. It was both sad and oddly adorable. “I just want Christmas to be happy, for once.”

“Ok.” Carefully, Jyn lifted his head from her shoulder until he was looking hazily into her eyes. “We’ll make it good again. Happy Christmas, Cassian.”

The smile that hit his lips was wobbly, and he nodded slowly in response. “Thanks, Jyn.”

* * *

**J A N U A R Y**

It was during Jyn’s lecture on formatting the perfect essay to pass the AP exam that he waltzed into the room. A guest name tag hung from his lapel. His face was bearded now, and his hair cut short enough it couldn’t be pulled back into a ponytail like she remembered from when she was little. A crisp black suit hung over his limbs. 

Seeing him was like seeing a ghost. She hadn’t seen him in almost 20 years, and now here he was. Showing up at a nondescript high school with a face begging for forgiveness. Whatever words that were about to come out from her mouth were stuck in her throat instead. 

The pause was enough to make the students spiral around in their seats, craning their necks for a view of the man who threw off the unthrowable Ms. Erso. She frantically tried to pull herself together and maintain composure, but she felt like a helpless child again. Watching her dad leave and being unable to do anything about it. 

“Ok, class.” Jyn straightened her posture, hoping it would help her appear far more in control than she felt. “Everyone use our discussion points from yesterday to practice formatting some thesis statements. Use the formula we were just talking about–it’s on the board– and when I come back we’ll look over them together and discuss, ok?”

Jyn nodded at the students before tapping her podium once and shuffling through the aisle of desks, walking past her father, and stepping out into the hallway. 

“What are you doing here?” she asked in a voice barely above a whisper. She did it so the students couldn’t hear, but also because she felt too fragile to manage anything greater than that. “I haven’t– how did you even… I mean, I thought you were dead.”

Dead had always been easier than anything else. Dead was simple, straightforward. If he was dead there wasn’t anything else to think about because there were no alternatives to the life she had. 

He reached a hand to cup her head, tugging on a strand of her hair. Jyn wished she was strong enough not to relent to the touch. “I’m out now. I think I’ve finally managed it.”

Over the years, all the stories she knew about her dad had turned to barely more than fairytales. She never really knew why he left in the first place, and that was fine. There were things she had heard in whispers when she was meant to be asleep– a company who had a secret monopoly over all the oil, a job constructing weapons– little things that had never been able to come into a full picture for her. Left was left; it never mattered why. 

“Out of what? What does that mean?” 

“The company. I had to go back at first, to protect you, but I’ve found a way out now. It means running, or more aptly,  _ flying  _ far away, but that’s all ok in the name of a little peace of mind.” He paused, sighing softly as he stepped closer. “God, have I missed you.”

The words broke her heart into too many pieces to count. She closed her eyes, took a breath, and tried to remind herself she could stand. Her voice was delicate as she spoke. “Why did you come here?”

He smiled sadly. “I needed to see you before I left. I hoped you might want to join me.”

Jyn could feel tears prickling at the corner of her eyelids, and she shook her head, bit her lip, anything to try to keep herself from falling apart. “I have a life here. I’ve made myself a life.”

“I understand that, stardust but–”

“ _ Don’t _ .” Jyn didn’t even know her voice could plead that desperately. “I spent years and years hoping you’d come back. Actually, I spent years and years wondering why you didn’t just take me the first time.”

“It wasn’t safe,” he said, begging her with his eyes to understand. “I couldn’t lose you.”

“But don’t you see that you did? It wasn’t safe for me either way, but at least we could have been together.” 

His shoulders slumped, and Jyn tried to reconcile this image of her father with the one who made her mickey mouse pancakes on Saturday mornings. A part of her wished she didn’t still love him. A part of her wanted to slip away into that love and forget everything. 

“I’m so sorry. So,  _ so _ sorry.” Tentatively, he reached his arms around her and she relented. She wrapped her arms around his middle and rested her head on his chest. “Can’t I make it up to you?” 

She shook her head no. “I still love you, dad, but I can’t come with you. I can’t be that person anymore.”

He nodded and stepped back, holding her at arm’s length as he looked over her face like he was trying to memorize every divot and line. “You have grown into a  _ beautiful  _ woman and made a  _ beautiful  _ life for yourself. I am so unbelievably proud of you.”

A tear stubbornly leaked down her cheek, and she wiped it furiously away. “Good luck, dad.”

“Stardust,” he sighed. Reaching forward, he kissed her forehead before taking a step back. “Good luck with everything. Live the best life.”

He stepped away, turned around the corner, and suddenly he was officially dead. Every question Jyn had ever had no longer needed an answer because that was that. He was here and then he wasn’t, and no matter what his intentions were, he left a whole hole of hurt in his place. She breathed deep and walked back into her classroom. 

“Your homework is to critique one of your peers’ thesis statements. After doing that, create topic sentences for the arguments they outlined to see if it can stand on its legs.” She stood at the podium, ignoring all the curious eyes filled with questions. “Class is released early today, go to the study hall room and maybe you can get your homework done before the bell rings.”

Whispers erupted the second she finished. It took a few minutes for them to grab their things and exit. Jyn waited by the door another minute or two after every student had left, making sure they were far enough down the hallway and no one had left anything behind, before shutting and locking the door. She had two free periods before her last class of the day; all she needed to do was get herself together in time to teach. 

She shut off the lights, only the soft light of day fluttering through the half-closed blinds keeping anything visible, and sat herself down at her desk. Some time to think, that’s all she needed. A little time to collect herself. 

The bell rang, and then twenty minutes after that a knock came at the door. Jyn wanted to ignore it, but it came again– more furious and persistent. Standing up, she brushed the non-existent dust of her skirt before opening the door slowly and peering through the gap. 

Cassian barrelled past her, closing the door behind himself. He turned with his eyebrows scrunched together and his breath coming a little too fast. “One of your students from seventh period came in with a question on my test and told me you let the class out early because some man showed up.”

Jyn tried a smile, but it didn’t feel even faintly passable. She let it drop. “My dad.”

His reaction spoke to the confusion and range of emotions that sat in her own chest. He stepped forward, reaching a hand out that grazed over the delicate skin of her wrist. “What happened? Are you ok? I don’t even…” 

“He’s gone.” Jyn nodded resolutely. “He was already gone, I mean he left in the first place, but now he’s  _ gone.”  _ Her voice cracked on the last word, and she knew finally she couldn’t keep it all in. “He left and I just– I can’t…” 

Cassian’s arms came up to envelope her slowly as if he was afraid to frighten her. Jyn grabbed onto him like a lifeline and surged forward to wrap her own arms around him and bury her face in the crook of his neck. 

Her own urgency only threw him off for a second, and if anything it made him suddenly sure of every movement. He petted her hair, tugged her closer, whispered reassurances he knew she could hear. Nothing false or unattainable, but facts he knew she could latch onto. 

“I’m here,” he said. Jyn tightly fisted the back of his shirt in response. “I’m not leaving you.”

The statement shook a cry from her. That was it, she really did have a family. This was everything she had always wanted but was far too scared to ever let herself have. And Cassian? Cassian was the epitome of everything she had ever feared. 

He had a place in her heart she had thought she had resolutely locked away. She’d never let herself care about someone quite the way she was starting to care about him. He creeped up on her like the smell of a candle she had just lit, until suddenly the smell filled the whole room and she was drowning in it. He smelled so good, so refreshing and sweet and everlasting. There was something about Cassian that Jyn was fairly sure she could never get sick of. 

And it scared the shit out of her. 

* * *

**F E B R U A R Y**

 

**Jyn:**

You skipped the teacher meeting today!

Are you suddenly the rule-breaking badass

I had always hoped lurked beneath??

 

**Cassian:**

Sorry to disappoint you, but I have a 

dentist appointment. 

 

**Jyn:**

I had to suffer alone. 

 

**Cassian:**

You’re so strong. 

 

**Jyn:**

Thanks. 

* * *

**A P R I L**

“I can’t believe we got stuck on Prom duty.” Jyn turned her eyes away from a couple who were grinding so much she was concerned the girl would be pregnant. “Do I break up grinding or just ignore it? What’s the protocol?”

Cassian sighed. “I have no idea. I’m just going to look away.”

“It feels really creepy, doesn’t it? We should not see any of this.” Jyn walked a few steps toward the bleachers, sitting down with enough space for him to sit next to her. He joined her a few seconds later. “I applied to cover the spring musical and instead ended up here. The world is out for me.”

He laughed as he reached up and ran a hand through his hair. “Just a few more hours and we’re free.” 

“Can we get ice cream afterwards?” The low bun her curled hair was held up in slipped slightly. Jyn pulled out a bobby pin and readjusted it, feeling the hair secure itself back in place. 

“Sure,” Cassian said through a chuckle. “We can do ice cream.”

“Thank  _ god. _ ” As her lips curved up at the edges, she noticed Orson Krennic making his way over. “This way the devil comes.”

Cassian hit his shoulder into hers, shooting her a quick “Sh” as Orson approached. 

“Hey guys, time for someone to do hallway duty.” He nodded, hands clasped in front of himself. “That means you two. Go on.”

Jyn opened her mouth to respond before Cassian squeezed her thigh to stop her, standing up right afterward. “On it.”

Shuffling a few extra steps, she caught up to him. “Why were you nice to that asshole?” 

“Do  _ you  _ want to keep watching 16 year olds rub up on each other?” 

She paused in her footsteps. “True.” Watching the way he gazed at her over his shoulder, laughing underneath his breath, she rushed to catch up again as they turned down a hallway. “Do you really think we have to worry about anyone sneaking off back here?”   


“You’ve met teenagers, right? You teach them?”

She rolled her eyes. “Ok, ok. I get it. You have more bite now because I’ve rubbed off on you.”

He quirked his head as he eyed her. “Please, don’t credit my bite to you. I’ve always had it, otherwise we never would have fought so much.”

“Still fight so much,” she corrected. 

He nodded. “Still fight so much. It’s kinda fun though, isn’t it?”

Jyn tried to elongate her steps so they fell in time with his. Her high heels clacked in comparison with his flat shoes. The gray suit he was wearing fit him perfectly. As he walked beside her, he slipped his hands into his pockets and smiled at her. 

“It is,” she said. Pausing, she leaned up against a locker and eyed the empty hallway. “It’s so deserted. I know we’re here a lot when the whole school is quiet, but it still never fails to strike me how bizarre it feels.”

Leaning on his arm next to her, so he was facing Jyn as she looked out, he nodded minutely. “It’s because the function of a school is to have people in it to educate. When it’s not fulfilling its purpose there’s a strange dissociation.” 

She quirked an eyebrow. “Really? Is this a Cassian thing or an actual fact.”

The annoyance that played across his features was fond. “I promise science exists on it.” 

She could feel another tendril of hair fall down, but she ignored it. Looking up through her eyelashes, staring softly at Cassian in his good suit and his good humor, she said, “I trust you.” Even though she hadn’t meant for the words to sound so serious, she didn’t quite mind that he knew it. 

Cassian moved a little closer, his face unreadable. “Good,” he said. The single word was barely above a whisper. His hand came up and tucked the hair behind her ear, and after it was safely in place his hand still hovered there. It rotated until his palm was touching her cheek cautiously, and she leaned into it. “Jyn, I-”

A crash and a giggle echoing down the hall broke them out of it, and the two stepped apart. She cleared her throat. “Our work is never done. Let’s go catch the little bastards.”

For a moment his face seemed to fall, but it was quickly replaced by a smile filled with mischief. “Let’s do it.”

* * *

“Hello, this is Jyn Erso.” She didn’t bother looking away from the emails she was scanning through as she picked up the phone. Getting out of here as fast as possible was the priority; her attention span was currently lacking in response.

“I’m glad I reached you, Ms. Erso. This is a representative from Scarif Academy.” 

Jyn suddenly sat up straighter, confusion racing through her. Around the time she applied for Kyber she had also applied to the Academy, throwing her resume anywhere relatively good. Scarif Academy had been  _ beyond  _ good, though; it was a boarding school for the best of the best, and so she hadn’t been surprised when she never heard anything back from them. Kyber High School  _ had  _ contacted her, and in the end she liked it here. It was a great position. 

Why they were calling now, though, three or so years later, she had no idea. 

“Hi,” she said, “I’m surprised to hear from you.”

“Yes. We realize you applied for a position teaching here several years back, but we still have your resume on file and hoped you had remaining interest in our institution. We have been interviewing prospective teachers, but we’ve found ourselves coming up with very slim options. Your experience and educational background would prove helpful in the position we’re trying to fill. After looking into it, we see you’re teaching AP Literature at Kyber High School?” 

“Yes,” Jyn said. “I teach one section of British Literature, but the majority of my classes are AP.”

“That’s great, that’s great.” The voice over the line paused, and Jyn realized she was holding her breath and it came out in a rush. “We’re looking for a very similar position to be filled here. You’d have to live on campus of course, but your salary could certainly be negotiated, you’d have full benefits… to be entirely frank with you, jobs don’t get much better than this in the teaching field.”

The whole call came so far out of left field Jyn didn’t know what to do with it. Her heart was beating, her mind whirring, and she swallowed in hopes of getting an answer out that didn’t sound strangled. “I am incredibly flattered.” 

“You should be, this is quite an honor. We understand you’ll need some time to think about it. Would you be able to give us a response in the next six weeks?” 

She swallowed again. “Yes, I can do that.” 

“Great. I can’t wait to talk to you soon.”

The phone line went dead, and she set it down. The woman on the other end hadn’t even said her name, she realized. She had just gotten a job offer that could change her entire life and she didn’t even know who had offered it to her. 

Jyn decided it was as good of a time as any to head home. 

* * *

**M A Y**

The bar was crowded and noisy, thrumming with life. Jyn was surprised that she and Cassian were able to get stools at all. Bodhi had said he was going to show up too, but that had been almost an hour ago and he was nowhere to be found. It was fine, though, she was two beers in and finally done with AP prep after all her students had taken the tests.

“We fucking made it.” Jyn sighed and took a sip. 

He laughed. “That we did. And now we have a whole empty month to fill.”

“Oh, I’m just going to show them movies the rest of the time.”

“You are not. You would never.”

She shrugged before snorting. The beer bottle was cool in her palm, and for a moment she contemplated lifting her hair off her nape and placing the bottle there to cool herself down. The room was too warm, but the alcohol made her care significantly less. 

A girl sidled up to Cassian’s side, reaching a hand out in hopes of signalling the bartender. Jyn was watching the second the girl noticed the teacher beside her, because suddenly she was shifting her body open to him, coming closer, her eyes widening and a nervous smile fluttering. 

“It is rather hard to get a drink in here, isn’t it?” she said in a boisterous voice. Cassian clearly hadn’t heard it at first, either that or he wasn’t paying much attention. The girl leaned even closer, biting her lip briefly. “Isn’t it?” 

He must have noticed her in the corner of his eyes, as he turned toward her briefly and gave a polite smile. 

She didn’t seem dismayed by his lack of response, instead smiling wider. “You didn’t seem to have a problem though. Getting a drink, I mean.”

Jyn tried to bite her tongue to keep from commenting. This wasn’t her moment, she reminded. This was Cassian’s life, and he could do with it whatever he wanted. Including talking to some girl hitting on him at a bar, if that was what he chose. 

Who was she kidding. She had never managed all that well to keep her mouth shut. “He’s lucky enough to have someone who practically speaks bartender,” she said. Within seconds Cassian’s eyes were on her, curious, and the girl seemed to deflate with the comment. 

“I see.” Looking behind them, she seemed to perk up again. “My friends are over there. Nice talking to you.”

The girl touched Cassian’s arm once more before exiting back into the crowd. The second she was gone, Jyn knew Cassian would be all eyes back on her, but she wasn’t quite ready to face it. Jyn ignored the gaze she could feel on the side of her face, warm and fiery, and instead took another drag from her bottle. It was empty, and it left her unsure what to do with her hands. 

Finally she looked back over at him and found his lips drawn goofily wide. “What?” 

“You’re possessive.” He laughed as he shook his head. 

“I’m sorry, did you  _ want  _ that girl talking to you?” Jyn reached across Cassian to his drink, stealing it from him to take a sip. The way he laughed at her antics made her feel angrier. “I can call her back over here if you want to flirt with her. I’m sure you two can find  _ something _ to talk about.”

Cassian reached out, touching her forearm. “Jyn, Jyn, you know I tease. I tease. That’s all.”

Their gazes met in the middle, and despite the lightness that shimmered in his eyes, she couldn’t help but feel there was something lurking beneath it as well. She wondered what he must see in her own eyes; the thought left her feeling vulnerable. 

“Let’s get out of the bar, yea? We can go get something to eat. Let the celebration continue. It sure looks like Bodhi won’t be showing up anytime soon.” The stool screeched as he pushed it back, and Jyn followed his actions. 

“Pizza?” she asked. 

He answered by placing his palm on her lower back and guiding her out of the bar. Jyn wasn’t sure if she was more warm from the alcohol or his touch.

* * *

Cassian stretched his legs out over Jyn’s coffee table, groaning after being scrunched up. He tossed the controller onto her lap. “I give up. You refuse to agree on watching anything.”

After a sigh and a few beats of silence, she set the controller down between them. “Fine. We can watch that World War I documentary, but you have to make the popcorn.”

After standing up, he jokingly sighed with a dramatic eye roll. “I’m  _ your  _ guest, Jyn. This is rude.” She actually rolled her eyes, and he smiled. “I got it. Get the documentary queued up.” 

The fact that he knew exactly where her microwave popcorn and large bowls were probably spoke to just how much time they had started spending with each other. It was just nice to do grading when there was someone else doing it with you, to watch random documentaries they always had to pause when they started talking about things, to have somewhere to go to when you didn’t quite feel like being alone. 

The microwave clicked as it started, and he aimlessly eyed her counter as the time counted down. Cassian sighed as he noticed her pile of mail that, as always, was in complete disarray. As he straightened up the piles, he saw a thick, open envelope that caught his eye. Scarif Academy. 

Cassian didn’t like to snoop, but he couldn’t think of an understandable reason on why she would have mail from Scarif Academy, and it was even harder to rationalize why it would be  _ so  _ much information. He slipped out the front sheet, just enough to read a few lines, before stuffing it back in. He didn’t want to read any more. 

Grabbing the envelope, he went back into the living room and dropped it on the table. 

Jyn jolted at the sound. “Wha-” Her words halted when she saw what had made the noise, and her eyes darted quickly up to him. The palms of her hands suddenly felt slick and clammy. “Cassian…” 

“That’s dated for weeks ago. What could they have sent you that you’ve had to hold onto for that long?” he asked. 

Jyn hated the way he looked right now, like he was trying to see all the good in her but couldn’t rectify it with the thoughts that were looming in his brain. “They offered me a job.”

His face smoothed; it had been the answer he feared but knew to be true. “So, you’re leaving?” The silence that sat between them was unlike the silence that normally did. It was tight, restrictive. Entirely uncomfortable. They both shifted like they could find enough space to shake off the feeling, but it couldn’t be done. “You didn’t even bother to tell me anything about this. Do you not trust me?”

“ _ No _ ,” she blurted, rising to her feet. “Cassian, I just didn’t know what to say.”

“Anything,” he said. “All you had to do was be honest.”

“I wasn’t going to take it.” Her voice was rising, nearly defensive. 

He scoffed. “Except that envelope has been sitting on your counter for weeks, Jyn!” 

“It was nice to have the option,” she flung back as she threw her hands out. 

“The option to leave.” It left his mouth like he was begging for a confirmation even though it was the last thing he wanted to hear. 

Jyn shrugged, unsure of what to say. 

“I would have been happy for you.” The words were suddenly quiet and delicate. “All you had to do was talk to me.” 

He looked her over, and it made her wish she could shrink away into herself. There were a million things she wanted to say. She wanted to tell him that she’d never been so close to so much love, to having so much to lose. That he  _ was  _ the person she wanted to talk to about this, but she was afraid of the intimacy it might need. He was the person she wanted to tell  _ everything  _ to. 

The microwave beeped, and it broke whatever the moment was. Cassian grabbed his coat, his bag sitting by the chair, and the few loose papers he had sitting on the table. He didn’t say anything else, and Jyn begged herself to say something to make him stay. The door clicked open, and he looked at her for a second before storming out. 

The room was too quiet. It suffocated her. Here was the explosion, she realized; here was her bomb breaking the people around her. And it was all her fault, just as she expected.

* * *

**From:** Mon_Mothma@KyberHigh.org

**To:** All Staff

**Subject:** Teacher of the Year

 

Good day Kyber High School faculty. 

 

It is my pleasure to finally announce the teacher of the year. Each year the National Honors Society spearheads a vote to decide the teacher of the year based on a number of qualifications. Students are implored to vote for a teacher that simultaneously excels at their job while inspiring their students, finds genuine passion in their subject area, and exudes the Kyber High spirit. 

 

This year, after a close race, the teacher chosen is Cassian Andor. This win, on top of giving him bragging rights, makes him this year’s chosen teacher speaker for graduation. Anyone who has stepped into his classroom to watch him teach will know how enthralling this speech should be. 

 

Sincerely, 

Mon Mothma 

_*_ _*_ _*_

**Jyn:**

Congratulations on teacher of the year! 

 

Can we talk?

 

**Cassian:**

Thanks. 

* * *

**J U N E**

She’d barely seen his face in weeks. Every time they got relatively close he disappeared before she could try to explain herself. It was odd because she’d never took him for the grudge-type, but then she realized how much that meant she had hurt him. It left her feeling sick. 

Now here she was, telling the students with A through B last names to keep quiet as he stood up to make his speech. A group of students in the back began a chant that the other students quickly launched into. “MIS-TER AN-DOR, MIS-TER AN-DOR.” Cassian chuckled politely up at the microphone, waving his hands to get them quiet.

“Thank you, thank you.” The whole gymnasium turned to silence, and he shuffled some notecards in front of him. He was wearing a navy suit she had never seen before with his hair loosely gelled back. He looked like he belonged more on a hollywood red carpet than on the stage of a high school graduation. 

“It is an honor to be chosen for teacher of the year,” he said, looking around at the students. “Thank you all so much for voting for me. I gave a lot of thought about what I should say today. I don’t want to take too much time as I’m sure you all know how boring a lecture can be when it goes on for much too long. So instead, I’m going to talk to you a little about what I know best.”

Cassian chuckled on the stage as a few students groaned. “Don’t worry,” he said with a wide smile, “I promise there’s no test afterward.” He paused as a few people laughed. “For anyone who has ever been in my classroom, they know the number one ingredient in changing a nation, in overthrowing a government, and in starting an outright rebellion.” 

He paused again as he looked stoically out into the audience. A smile spread slowly across his features as a few students began to mumble. Jyn felt transfixed as he spoke– he really was as good of a speaker as she had been told he was. “Hope,” he said. “Hope is the building block for so many changes in our world. The history we learn about wouldn’t be possible without hope. Elections, assassinations,  _ rebellions  _ are all built on hope.

“Now, I hear people talk about how this generation is the most hopeless, cynical one yet. As someone who spends every day with you guys, I know this is not true. As you go forward in your educational or professional careers, as you go forward in  _ life _ , hold onto hope. Hope for the things you want, because every person who has done something great, maybe even something horrible, has had to hope for it first. 

“Don’t be afraid of hope. It is much better to leap and fall than stay standing in the same place forever. As you hope for the future, know that I hope for you all too. Happy graduation class of ‘17. I hope the best for all of you. Thank you.”

Some students started a standing ovation as he walked off stage, jumping to their feet and clapping and whooping. Jyn felt like she couldn’t breath. She knew he hadn’t written a speech just for her, there was no way he could have known, but it seemed to hit her harder than anything she had ever heard. She’d never leapt anywhere worth anything. 

Her eyes lost Cassian in the crowd as students lined up to receive their diplomas, and after making sure her line of A’s and B’s were where they were meant to be, she shuffled off towards the hallway he had escaped down. He was walking back toward either his classroom or out to his car, she wasn’t much sure which, but she knew she had to catch up to him. 

“Cassian!” she called once the doors had shut behind her and the sound wouldn’t spread. For a second she was sure he wouldn’t turn around, but then he stopped in his tracks. She jogged to catch up. 

He turned and his face was unreadable. Jyn had no idea what he was thinking. 

“That was a great speech.” She shifted her weight on her legs, unsure of how to stand. “I’m not leaving. I’m staying here.” 

He nodded slowly, and she cursed herself for starting there. That wasn’t the point and had never been; the argument had always been about so much more. 

“I was scared,” she finally said. 

This got a reaction out of him, and he met her gaze. “Of me?” 

“Not of  _ you  _ but of…” she trailed off, searching for the words. “I’ve never had a family before. I never really let myself because that meant hoping it wouldn’t all fall apart and… Cassian, you don’t understand how hard this is for me to say.”

His face had softened as she spoke, and he stepped closer to her so they were facing each other fully; only a breath of air separating them. “Say it.”

“I never stay anywhere because it’s safer to just leave, but being here made me want to stay more than I ever did before. I just didn’t want to ruin it all.” Jyn sighed. Taking a deep breath, she pushed her shoulders back and looked Cassian straight in the eyes. “Cassian, you give me hope. You make me the most hopeful I’ve ever been before.” 

That was all it took to snap the moment, and then they weren’t two people separated by a breath of air but instead two people pulsing toward the other. Neither knew which one started it first, but it didn’t really matter. One of Jyn’s hands found the collar of his suit, the other the back of his hair as her fingers sifted through his stands. Cassian grabbed at her waist and tugged her as close as possible. 

It started off nearly harsh at first when their lips met, because the two had always been fighting for dominance and why should this be any different? After a minute it softened, and Jyn sighed into his mouth. His lips spread into a smile so wide it almost made it hard to kiss. He pulled back, their foreheads touching, before he kissed her cheeks, her nose, the curve where her shoulder met her neck, and Jyn laughed the whole way through. 

“I hope for you, you know,” Cassian said. 

Jyn smiled and went up on her tiptoes to peck his lips. “I’ve heard all the best things are built on hope.”

He kissed her back. “I’ve heard that, too.”

* * *

“You can’t just throw all your books into the boxes without organizing them together,” Cassian said in mocking shock. He stepped forward, batting Jyn’s hands away as she fought him, before putting all the similar copies together. “This is going to save you time come Fall.”

“Oh, shut up.” She propped herself up on her desk, crossing her arms as she pouted. “Don’t you have your own classroom to clean?” 

“My classroom is already clean because I got students to help me.” 

Jyn raised an eyebrow. “That’s  _ devious. _ ”

Cassian laughed. “It was a win-win. I signed them out of the end of the year pep rally and they got to help me. They didn’t want to watch the cheerleaders stumble through another routine.”

“That was the closest you’ve ever been to talking bad about a student.” 

He rolled his eyes and put the book in his hand down, coming over to where she was sat on the desk. “Don’t tell on me.”

“I’m the best girlfriend in the word.” She shrugged. “So I won’t.”

Standing between her legs, he stepped forward to give her a swift kiss on the lips. “Ms. Erso, what do your Summer plans entail?” 

“Well, Mr. Andor, I have to think pretty hard about it.” She reached out and entangled his fingers in her own, bringing up his hand to kiss the back of it. He tightened the hold in response. “What about you? Do you know what you’ll be doing this Summer?” 

The look he gave her would have made her nervous in the past– the honesty, the importance of it. Now she twisted her body toward it, basked in it. 

“I think I have a pretty good idea.”

“Yea?” 

He smiled. That smile still left Jyn’s insides twirling. “Yea,” he said.

“Good.” Jyn smiled back. “Me too.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Always feel free to holla at me on tumblr: [clarkescrusade](http://clarkescrusade.tumblr.com/)


End file.
